Method of making lateral extensions from pipe lines



Jan. 30, 1940. A, LARRY AL 2,188,607

METHOD 0E MAKING LATERAL ExTENsIoNs FROM PIPE LINES Filed Nov. 1e, 193ewww Patented Jan. 30, 1940 rATET oFFicE METHOD OF MAKXNG LATERAL EXTEN-SIO-NS FROM PIPE LINES Timothy A. Larry and Earl-E. Cline, Decatur,Ill., assignors to Mueller Co., Decatur, Ill., a

corporation of Illinois Application November 16, 1936, Serial No.111,164

2 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus and methods for making a lateralextension from a conduit.'

In the maintenance and extensions o-f pipe line systems, it isfrequently necessary to attach a branch line to a main line, and it ishighly desirable that this be done without substantial loss of uid orfluid pressure in order that there will be no interruption of service toconsumers whose service pipes connect with the main conduit.

Where the pipe line contains a fluid which is under high pressure orwhere the fluid is of such nature as to be harmful to workers, it isespecially desirable that extensions be made without substantial loss ofiluid.

The present invention makes possible the extension of existing pipelines in an economical and convenient manner and with the use ofrelatively inexpensive apparatus.

Further objects of the invention will be apparent from the accompanyingdescription and drawing.

Referring to the drawing,

Figure 1 is a plan view showing a branch line attached to a main linewith the drilling apparatus in place.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the branch line attached to a main lineshowing the application of a closure to the opening through which thedrill was inserted. v

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3 of Figure v1, omitting thevalve body and drilling apparatus.

Figure 4 is a plan view showing a modiiication of the apparatus used incarrying out the invention.

In carrying out the present invention, a fitting having two pairs ofaligned openings, and referred to herein as a cross, is preferablydivided into two parts l and 2 along the axis of one pair of alignedopenings. The two parts l and 2 are then broughtk together around theconduit 3, to which an extension is to bey connected, and are preferablyWelded togetherv along their opposed edges, and welded to the conduit 3,as shown in the drawing. Y

A branch conduit 4 is then secured, preferably by a butt weld as shownin Figure l, to the hub 5 extending from the part 2 at right angles tothe main-conduit 3. The hub 6 extending in the opposite direction fromthe part I, at. right angles to the conduit 3, is preferably screwthreaded exteriorly for the attachment of a valve body 'l provided witha gate valve 8.

An adapter sleeve 9 is threaded into the upper end of the valve body 1,as shown in Figure 1, and a device or machine, generally similar to pipedrilling machines of well-known construction and including a feed sleeveit, is threaded on the upper end of the adapter sleeve 9. A bar Ilisslidably and rotatably mounted within the feed sleeve IEE, a iiuid tightjoint being maintained between the two by means of conventional packing(not shown) secured upon the upper end of the feed sleeve itl by Vaninternally flanged collar I2. The bar il is provided at its upper endwith an operating handle i3 having a conventional double ratchet devicethereon to permit the device to be rotated in either direction with aratchet effect. A collar M is fixed on the upper portion of the bar ilbeneath the handle! i3 and, in order that the bar li may befeddownwardly in the usual manner, a feed screw l5 is threaded upon thefeed sleeve i and may be connected to the bar il by means of a yoke i6pivoted upon the feed screw and having its head portion slotted as at Ilso that it may be moved into engagement with the upper surface of thecollar Hl as shown in Figure l.

The lower end of the bar Il is provided with a central bore I3 for thereception of a pilot drill i8, which is retained therein by means of apin 26 passing through suitable apertures in the barv and pilot drill.The lower end of the pilot drill is enlarged to provide a shoulder 2lthereon.

The lower end of the bar H is externally threaded 4for engagement withthe internal threads of a shell cutter 22, and is provided with a flange23, positioned above the screw threads, against which the upper end ofthe shell cutter abuts when the latter is tightly screwed on to the bar.The shell cutter 22 is preferably provided with a plurality of apertures23` so that when the shell cutter passes through th-e conduit 3 therewill be no interruption of the flow of iiuid.

The branch conduit having been joined to the hub 5, and thel Valve bodyl with the above described drilling apparatus having been connected tothe hub the bar l I is moved inwardly,l

with the gate valve 8 open, until the pilot drill i9 engages the conduit3. The yoke i3 is then swung into engagement with the bar il its slottedhead portion positioned above the collar i4 of the bar, and drilling isaccomplished by rotating the bar Il by means of the handle I3 andapplying downward pressure by rotating the feed.

screwv |5 Vto the right.

It will kbe understood thatthe pilot drill precedes the shell cutterthrough vthe pipe and acts 'When the drilling is completed, the yoke I6is disengaged from the bar Il and the latter is then moved outwardly towithdraw the shell cutter and pilot drill into the adapter 9. The gatevalve 8 is then operated to closed position and the drilling apparatusis removed by unscrewing the adapter 9 from the valve body 1.

Since, during the drilling operation, the shell cutter passes entirelythrough the main conduit 3 in a direction which is axial with respect tothe branch conduit 4, it will be seen that communication is therebyestablished between the two conduits.

If desired, valve body 7 may be left secured to the hub 6 and, if alateral extension is desired at the same point but in the oppositedirection, a branch conduit may be secured to the outer end of the valvebody and the gate valve 8 may be operated to open position.

However, where only one branch conduit is needed, the opening throughthe hub 6 of the cross may be plugged and the valve body 'I may beremoved without loss of fluid or uid pressure in the following manner.

In carrying out the method of applying an inexpensive closure to theopening through the hub 6, certain parts of the drilling apparatusdescribed above and shown in Figure 1, including the adapter 9 and bar II are utilized, together with the valve body 1, gate valve 8, and aclosure applying tool which is to be described below.

The shell cutter 22 is unscrewed and detached from the bar I I and thepilot drill is detached by removing the pin 29.

Referring to Figure 2, the closure preferably comprises a plug likemember 24 having external right-hand threads adapted to engage internalthreads in the hub 6. An internally threaded bore 25, of appreciablyless depth than the thickness of the plug, is provided for the receptionof the closure applying tool.

'I'he closure applying tool, shown in Figure 2, comprises a cylindricalmember 26, the lower end of which is provided with right-hand threadswhich are adapted to engage the internal threads of the bore 25 in theclosure 24. The other end of the member 26 is adapted toextend into thebore I8 in the lower end of the bar II and may be secured therein bymeans of a pin 2'I.

The method of inserting the closure comprises attaching an applying toolto a closure 24 by screwing the threaded end of the tool into the bore25 thereof and securing the other end of the tool to the bore I8 of thebar II. Adapter 9 is then screwed into valve body 'I, the bar II withthe closure 24 attached thereto having been first moved to its outermostposition. 'Ihe gate valve 8 is then withdrawn and the closure is movedinto contact with the hub 6 by moving the bar II inwardly. The handle I3of the bar II is then rotated to the right to screw the closure tightlyinto the opening within the hub 6.

After the closure has been tightened, the bar I I may be turned to theleft and the inserting tool 26 unscrewed from the closure 24. Theclosure will not be disengaged from the hub 6, when the bar I I isrotated to the left, by reason of the fact that the diameter of thelower threaded end of tool 26 is considerably less than the diameter ofthe closure 24. Since the lower threaded end of the tool presents thesmaller threaded area, the friction tending to prevent its disengagementwill be less than the friction at the external threads of the closure.

The opening through the hub 6 having been thus sealed, withoutsubstantial loss of fluid, by the insertion of the plug 24, and theinserting tool having been removed, the valve body 1, together with theadapter 9 and bar II, may be removed from the hub. If desired, a cap(not shown), internally threaded for engagement with the externalthreads of the hub 6, may then be screwed on to the upper end of the hubover the closure 24.

It will be understood that the apparatus, above described, may be modiedwithout departing from the scope of the invention. For example, thebranch conduit may be threaded to the cross, as shown in Figure 4,internal threads 28 being provided in the hub 5 for this purpose.

Although it. is customary to cast the cross ln one piece andsubsequently divide it into two parts as, above described, it may bedesirable to cast the two parts separately and it may also be convenientto make the two parts identical.

The diameter of the shell cutter 22 may be slightly greater than theinternal diameter of the main conduit, as shown in the drawing, but itwill be understood that it may be substantially smaller or it may begreater than the outside diameter of the conduit. It has been found thatwhen the entire cross section of the main conduit is cut out, theconduit is not substantially weakened where the cross is welded to it asherein described.

The above described methods, as well as the apparatus, may be modifiedwithin the purview of the invention and it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingshall be regarded as merely illustrative.

I claim:

1. The method of making a lateral extension from a conduit whichcomprises forming a cross about the conduit, the conduit extendingthrough two aligned openings of the cross, securing a second conduit andan enclosed drilling apparatus respectively to the other alignedopenings of the cross and drilling through the conduit in a directionwhich is substantially axial with respect to the second conduit therebyestablishing communication between the two conduits and closing theopening of the cross which is opposite to the second conduit.

2. The method of making a lateral extension from a conduit withoutsubstantial loss of iiuid, which comprises dividing a cross into twoparts by cutting along one of its axes, placing the two parts injuxtaposition about the conduit whereby the conduit extends throughaligned openings of the cross, securing a second conduit and an encloseddrilling apparatus respectively to the other aligned opening of thecross and drilling through the conduit in a direction which issubstantially axial with the respect to the second conduit, therebyestablishing communication between the two conduits.

TIMOTHY A. LARRY. EARL E. CLINE.

